Buti Al Delail, a current student at Khalifa University, recently developed an application for Apple’s iTunes platform. Named the CAViAR App, this application recently won an award at the Mobile Application Contest, organized by Khalifa University with participating universities across the UAE held in May, 2012.

CAViAR uses state of the art Augmented Reality (AR) technologies to provide the user with indoor localization and navigation based on image detection. When users scan an image, it will use the information to pinpoint your exact location, inside a building, and map it to Google maps to let the user know where they are, and how to get to their next destination.

CAViAR also traces the user’s footsteps while they walk to update itself on the location, it can then use augmented reality to display the information in 3D. In addition to these functions it also features indoor maps, shortest paths, inertial navigation, places of interest, location sharing and voice commands.

“The application can recognize commands, such as “Where is Dr. Luis” and show you the directions to the person’s office,” says creator, Buti Al Delail. “Currently it is only available for Khalifa University students, as I haven’t mapped any other campuses, but in time, this app could be applied to many locations around the world.”

“The main benefits of the application are its ability to obtain the users location by image detection,” continued Al Delail. “It can also show other locations and the locations of the user’s friends. It even retrieves data in an interactive way by using the camera phone.”

Khalifa University’s Interim Provost, Dr. Mohammed Al-Mualla remarked, “I am delighted that our students are leveraging their skills and academic knowledge towards developing real-world applications. Students like Buti Al Delail represent a remarkable testament to the imagination and skills of the next generation of professionals that will support the knowledge economy in the U.A.E.”

Al Delail is in his final year of Computer Engineering at Khalifa University. He says, “Khalifa University provided me with the best opportunities in the UAE. Few universities in the world provide quality education for free, but Khalifa University does, and it’s up to my generation to take advantage of these opportunities. We can contribute to the future of the UAE.”

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Background information

Khalifa University was established in February 2007 by a decree issued by the UAE President HH Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to complement Abu Dhabi's 2030 vision, which aims at building a knowledge-based economy that effectively contributes to the development of the UAE.More...

Khalifa University was established in February 2007 by a decree issued by the UAE President HH Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to complement Abu Dhabi's 2030 vision, which aims at building a knowledge-based economy that effectively contributes to the development of the UAE.

Khalifa University's main campus is located in Abu Dhabi, while it operates with another campus in Sharjah. Khalifa University is dedicated to providing the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the UAE, the region and the world with highly qualified engineers, technologists and scientists, capable of making major contributions to the UAE as leaders and innovators of industry and society.